Chapter 1
His First Mission
Standing on the old platform of the train station in Central he thought of the papers given to him by the Colonel. Go to Rizenbul and find out why Fullmetal hasn't reported in, and delivery to him a document from the colonel. What kind of mission was that, to check up on another alchemist? Oh well, it's a start anyway. He thought to himself, as the train pulled up. He then climbed on board the train.
The train ride was said to be long and boring, taking many hours out of the day, he had left in the evening so he thought he should at least get a room at the inn before making the trip back, so he brought enough money with him for even a pricy place.
After the many uneventful hours on the train he arrived in Rizenbul. The sky was getting dark and the air was a little chilly but the young man had been through worse then this. As he began his trip towards the small village he noticed that there was a small boy standing at the platform holding a small sign with his name on it. So he went over to the young man and asked how he knew he was coming.
"I got a message for you," replied the child
"Really, and who's it from?" Questioned John.
"I don't know, I was told to take this paper and hold the sign up when the train arrived." The child responded, handing John the envelope the message had been put in.
"Well thank you young sir," John said handing the boy a coin from his pocket. He quickly opened the envelope and began to walk towards town. Inside the envelope was a message that was sent from his colonel telling him that, in case he had failed to notice, he had an envelope addressed to Fullmetal in the envelope with his orders. So I was just a messenger boy was I? Pulling out his envelope he opened it back up and there it was the letter addressed to Fullmetal.
"Is there anything I can help you with young man?" asked a short elderly woman who he had about tripped over since he wasn't watching the ground.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said putting the papers back into his jacket pocket. "Would you happen to know where a person is?"
"Well that depends on which person your looking for," she replied, noticing the metal hand that he had used to put his papers away with. "And may I ask who it was that did your hand?" Pointing to his auto-mail hand with her pipe.
"It's been awhile since I last talked to him but I can't remember his name it was a few years ago up in Rush Valley, why do you ask?" John replied kind of curious for an answer.
"Just asking, but who is it your looking for again?" she asked dropping the other conversation as if it hadn't happened.
"I believe his name is Edward Elric. I am to deliver him a message." Said John, "do you know of him?"
"Yes and I'm afraid that unless you hurray back to the train you'll miss him. He just left you'll see him he is with his brother in a suit of armor." Replied the old woman
"Thank you," John said bowing and turning to run back to the train hearing the whistle blow. He made it in time to get his ticket and jump onto the train just as it began to take off. He began to travel threw the train until he came to a car in which he saw a man suited in armor. Surely that is the man she spoke of, Fullmetal's brother. He walked up to the seats that they occupied and introduced himself.
"Hello, my name is John and I'm looking for Fullmetal, is he him?" he asked the man in the armor pointing to the young man lying asleep on the seat.
"Yes he is," replied the man in the armor, "my name is Alphonse is there anything I can help you with?"
"Well I am supposed to give him this letter from the colonel, but I am sure I can leave it with you till he wakes up." Said John, handing Al the letter and heading to the back of the car where he had seen an empty seat on his way through. He sat there in that seat for a few hours when the train reached its next stop, he got up and got off and went to the nearest place he could find with a phone. He looked around as he was on his way and he saw a sign that said he was at Youswell.
Youswell, isn't this the place that Fullmetal had his first mission at? I wonder if they remember him, I hop they don't treat me the way they treated him when he first got here. John thought to himself as he walked towards an inn. Once he entered the inn he saw some of the locals and went to sit down at an empty table when he noticed that everyone had stopped talking and he looked around and saw everyone staring at him. He smiled at everyone and waved, I might want to be heading towards the door now.
"Hello," said a deep voice from behind him, "how can I help you this evening?"
"I-I-I was just wandering…um…if maybe I could get a meal and a place to stay or possibly if I could…um…maybe just use a phone." John managed to get out.
"Well I imagine that you could eat and stay here if you have enough money." The big man smiled.
"Really," John said remembering what was in Fullmetal's report. "and how much is that?"
"25,000. That's the charge for one night and a meal, unless you're here to stay longer?" said the man hoping.
"No, I just need to stay a night and use the phone so I can call my superiors." John said without thinking.
"Your superiors you say." The smile fading from his face. "And just what are you going to be telling these superiors?" The man asked darkly.
"Nothing really," said John looking around and meeting the same attitude on every other face in the place, "just that I had delivered the message they had asked me to and got off course in the process but would be on my way as soon as they wanted me to."
"And what was this message you delivered?"
"I don't know what it was just who it was to." John said trying to find an opening in which he could make a run for it.
But just before he could make his move the doors burst open and standing there in the doorway was the Fullmetal Alchemist and his brother Alphonse. John almost fainted with relief when he saw them and the change in every body's faces when they appeared.
"Watcha up to, Boss?" asked Ed.
"Not much just tryin' to figure out if the military had decided to come back and retake this place." He said gesturing to John.
"No, no, no, not at all, he was the one I had to find to deliver the message to." John said, pointing to Ed and Al.
"Its true and your lucky I woke up when the train stopped or id still be on the train away from here. Oh and thank you for giving me my new orders, they say I am to help you with your next objective, so what is it?" Ed asked John.
"I don't know. I was about to call them, when I was done being questioned that is." John said as nicely as he could.
"Well it can wait a while longer," said Ed, "have you lowered your prices since I was here last?" he asked the big man.
"Yeah a little." He replied and they began to serve the drinks and the food to the three guests and the place livened up a little bit after that. The rest of the evening went by without a problem and John, after eating decided that he should go and call the colonel, even after Ed had protested not to till the morning.
"Hello, colonel, I have delivered the message to Fullmetal and we were delayed a bit. But I am to understand I have new orders now?" John said before listening to the colonel's reply. "Understood sir, we will leave in the morning on the first train that arrives. Good bye colonel." Once he had finished his conversation John slipped out of the room and went up to one of the guest rooms where he laid down to go to sleep.
But before he could go to sleep he had a knock on his door. He told whoever it was to come on in. It was Al so he got up and sat down on the edge of the bed. "What can I do for you?" John asked Al stifling a yawn.
"Well, you know who we are and I was just wandering who you were, I mean if we are going to be helping each other I need to know what your name is and maybe your rank as well." replied Al.
"Well my name is John Beach and I'm an Alchemist." John told him.
"Do you have a title, like Ed?" Al asked.
"Yes I do. I'm the Young Blood Alchemist."
"What do you do for the military?" Al asked.
"I do research on medicine and am working to create an elixir that stops aging. Not unlike the Philosophers Stone, yet not as general in its use. That is how I got my name I brought in research that showed the work to be profitable for it showed a few things that the ones inspecting it put to use right away."
"What were the new things they used from your research?" Al questioned.
"Refined ways to make vitamins to were they held more output in your system instead of them cramming a large amount into them and you only use a small portion." John said yawning, "but now I believe its time for me to hit the sack. The train has wore me out completely. Good night Al." Then he laid back and went to sleep before Al could even leave the room.